Low Stock Alerts

What Are Low Stock Alerts?

Low stock alerts display an urgency-building notification when a product is running low on inventory. The alert shows a message like "Only 3 left in stock — order soon!" to encourage customers to complete their purchase before the item sells out.

These alerts create authentic urgency by using your actual Shopify inventory data, helping convert browsers into buyers when stock is genuinely limited.

How Stock Data Is Retrieved

Ultimate Social Proof pulls inventory data directly from your Shopify store. When a customer views a product page, the app reads the inventory_quantity from the selected (or first available) variant.

For products with inventory tracking enabled in Shopify, the alert displays the real-time stock count. If a product doesn't have inventory tracking enabled or allows overselling, low stock alerts won't appear for that product.

Where Alerts Appear

Low stock alerts appear as toast notifications on product pages only. When a customer is viewing a product that meets the stock threshold criteria, they'll see the alert pop up alongside other social proof notifications.

The alerts don't appear on collection pages, the homepage, or other areas of your store — they're specifically designed to add urgency at the point of purchase decision.

Setting the Stock Threshold

The stock threshold determines when alerts are triggered. You can set this value between 1 and 20 items. When the product's inventory quantity is at or below this threshold, the low stock alert will display.

For example, with the default threshold of 3:

• Product with 2 items in stock: Alert shows "Only 2 left in stock"
• Product with 3 items in stock: Alert shows "Only 3 left in stock"
• Product with 4 items in stock: No alert displayed

Choosing the Right Threshold

Consider your typical inventory levels when setting this value:

• Low threshold (1-3): Best for stores with limited inventory or high-value items. Creates genuine urgency.
• Medium threshold (4-10): Good for products that regularly sell out or have moderate stock levels.
• Higher threshold (11-20): Use sparingly, as alerts for 15+ items in stock may feel less urgent to customers.

How to Enable or Disable Stock Alerts

To configure low stock alerts:

1. Open the Shopify Theme Editor
2. Navigate to a product page
3. Click on the USP Toast block in your theme
4. Find the "Show low-stock alerts" checkbox under the notification sources
5. Check the box to enable, or uncheck to disable
6. If enabled, adjust the "Stock threshold" slider to your preferred value (1-20)
7. Click Save

When disabled, no low stock alerts will appear regardless of inventory levels. Other notification types (recent purchases, reviews, etc.) will continue to display normally.

Tips for Best Results

• Keep it authentic: Set a threshold that reflects genuinely low stock for your store. Customers can lose trust if they see "low stock" alerts for products that never sell out.
• Monitor your inventory: Ensure your Shopify inventory tracking is accurate so the alerts display correct information.
• Combine with other notifications: Low stock alerts work well alongside recent purchase notifications to create both social proof and urgency.